388 Comments

Also a discussion area without the peons and boneheads on this blog with the lowest IQ’s I have ever witnessed would be much appreciated. I just can’t take these completely ridiculous folks. Wicky, Sally, Latona, Carp, Doodie, CT, ORR, Pimp, @CCCP@ …… You know who you are guys. I just can’t take the pea-brained no-talent clown-like statements from them day after day. Please get me a refuge from this idiocy!

Once again, this is why twitter is so stupid. OK, it works in terms of breaking news fast. But does anybody care that Andrew is working his butt off at Devils breakup day and I’m sitting here in my boxers and it’s on my blog and being discussed way before it’s on his blog?

Or that he’s pretty much giving me and you this info for free?

See what I’m saying? And my company makes money (I don’t know if it’s much) off my blog. Does anybody make money off twitter?

I give Parise credit. He could have kept his mouth shut and used the Rangers as leverage to squeeze every last dollar out of whoever he wound up signing with.

He also could have jerked Sather & Co. around just for the hell of it, thereby taking some of their attention away from players who actually do want to play for the Rangers.

I figured he wasn’t going to want to come here. Like eric said, unlike Driver, Holik and Gomez, there’s no animosity between him and Lou. Plus he seems to care about the Devil fans way more than any of those other guys.

as good as parise is, he is not the end all be all. If anything, I respect the fact that he wouldnt want to go the chief rival of the only team he has ever known. We just have to have faith that Sather will make the right moves to get another scoring winger and some depth on D. and thank G-D the Devils didnt win this year!

Yup, there is apparently a sure investor (some company located in Ontario), that is pretty much waiting to announce his/their involvement right after the Devils go through bankruptcy. the current owner will remain in charge.

The thing that should irritate all of us is, if the Rangers had simply drafted Parise in 2003, instead of byfuglien Hugh Jessiman, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. Also, the Rangers might very well have won the Cup this year. Yes, I am still bitter about the ’03 draft.

If it were 2003, we would still be looking for a behemoth that could clutch and grab, and drive people into the 3rd row. If you remember the roster of that team, and the rules of the league, they needed a guy like Jessiman.

Looks like Radulov is out of the picture. Go hard for Schultz, trade/ or sign lesser UFA’s to fill holes. We need a scorer (maybe two now), but there are too many kids that need a year or two to make the jump.

So future Ranger Zach Parise says there is no way he comes to the Rangers. Won’t even consider it. Well that’s fine by me. I don’t want any stinking devils on my team. Certainly not for 8+million for 10-12 years. Or for any money quite frankly. Time for Slats to get creative and add a scorer through a shrewd trade or t

Especially with Gaborik out for a couple of months, and considering that his shoulder may not be a 100% for a month or so after, looks like Sather may have to postpone his fishing trips this summer. Unless he decides to stay put.

cw, Jessiman was a project. A huge project (no pun intended). Obviously just about every 18-year old who gets drafted is a project in some way. But he was an off the charts project. There was probably only one franchise who saw him as being anywhere close to a first-round pick. Unfortunately, the Rangers were that franchise.

Dennis Reynolds: “How much cheese have you eaten today?”
Charlie Kelly: “How much cheese is too much cheese?”
Dennis Reynolds: “Any amount of cheese before a date is too much cheese!”
Charlie Kelly: “I had a lot of cheese, I had a block of cheese.”
Mac: “You had a block of cheese?”
Charlie Kelly: “I got really, really nervous I just started eating cheese”
Mac: “Does that calm you down? “

Move on- Other than two open net goals and a Gimme from Quick, What did Parise really do in the last two rounds???? I really think he’s Callahan with a little more polished goal scoring ability. We need some Size in front. Parise was neutralized by both the Rangers and the Kings. I’m not crying. We could better use the 8-9 million he’s gonna want IMO.

Interestingly, I am beginning to think Nash is a better way to go than Parise. I think the NYR have to deal some $$$ away. Especially considering the length of the deal Zach is sure to get. As I said earlier, my preference is to keep the off season deals small. Jordan Staal is a UFA next year. Maybe next year is the time to make the big splash.

i’m back in a “foreign” land.
my home
after 7 days gone
camping/covering Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
for 4 days and travel to and from tennessee (or the Land of Radulov….sometimes)

wifi was sketching for media and i usually had just enough energy to complete work
and send it off (also had a great deal of back pain but i got a massage and got my lower back cracked by a chiropractor who was camping nearby!!)

Really, other than Crosby (who will be resigned), Staal (who will be resigned or traded this summer where he will be resigned), Perry (who will be resigned), and Getzlaf, all of the top-end 2013 forwards are just old guys.

Would not worry about declining production. Posted this before but I have a friend I used to play hockey with, very knowledgeable, who lives in Columbus and he said Nash continues to be a force. Sergei Fedorov once told me Nash is awesome.

Trade anything non-Kreider or McD, get it done.

Sadly there will be a lot of competition from Philly, Boston, San Jose, Wings, etc. They are willing to move real players not make stupid lowballs like Sather did. Hopefully he learned his lesson.

as far as parise
i’m not surprised (never went with the Future Ranger business for some reason)
but
it’s pretty stupid of him to openly say that.
his agent’s is probably still throwing things around his office
while an assistant is texting and/or calling zac

of course, he could always change his mind
but
i’d be more interested in the BIG forwards from the ducks
but ONLY if the price is right

Until he signs with someone else or resigns with the Devils, I won’t believe the Rangers are out of contention. We have seen this too much, both in hockey and elsewhere. Everyone is in it until he signs his name on the dotted line somewhere else.

As much as I want him here, unless he really wants to be here, I hope he goes elsewhere. However, I will be surprised if the Devils can sign him. There is loyalty and then there is stupidity.

Let’s see how this all settles. It’s a bit naive to take it as it was said. Unless he was assured NJ is resigning him very soon, he may make another statement to soften it up. And does anyone really think this means the Rangers will not go after him anyway? Think again.

This could be interesting. Do the Rangers panic and try to trade away too much for extra scoring only to ruin the current depth and mortgage some of the future?

I would stick to my guns. Find some budget scoring help and bank on the improvement of your younger players (AA “should” at least score 20 next year, as well as Step). If trading, wait for a trade that gets what you need without giving up too much. Patient shrewdness.

If all of these other teams are in on Nash, the price will be way too high.

sure parise can always change his mind
and give a bunch of excuses — money, years, team concept, devils ownership/rebuild….
but
it sure was a dumb statement.
at the very least
he should have said
i’d love to be back here and hope something gets done before
july 1st. if not, we’ll see….

maybe he should hire me as his p.r. person
he can just pay me in full on july 2nd

I am not for the trade market. I would prefer a free agent signing to help upfront. having said that, would anybody consider an Anismov for Luke Schenn trade. Schenn has fallen out of favor in Toronto, and they do have many young Dmen, so he could be expendable. right shooting Dman with some bite to his game. I think he fits.

Neither Parise nor Nash are the game-breaking, elite level players that the Rangers could justifiable pony money up for. Neither has really won anything, nor have they put up league leading amounts of points. Remember how dominant Malkin was this year when he was in beast-mode, just knocking people senseless? Yeah, Parise and Nash can’t do that. So while neither will hurt a team they’re on, they’re also not going to be 100 pt players either

i honestly think iggy is the way to go (if he is or will even be available). He would be the absolute perfect mentor for kreider as a power forward. he has every bit the character that parise has and more IMHO.

He has one year left and can re-sign at that point if both sides want that. If not, you then have the “potential” UFA crop of next summer.

I would certainly inquire into the possibility of perry (my choice of the 3), getzlaf (girardi’s long lost twin), or ryan (why is he the one always mentioned of the 3 in trade speculation?)

I would be fine with staal as well, as long as whoever goes to the pens in the exchange doesn’t just kill us every time (we do have a trade history with the pens).

Nash is hands down my second choice behind Iggy. His contract will not be any more than most of the above mentioned players (except iggy’s if he resigned next summer), and may in fact be less than some after they sign new contracts. Good or bad he has been in columbus with questionable linemates for his career and has put up good numbers. I would be willing to give him some leeway and see what he could do on a line with a centre like brich for a season or two before I say he is on a downslide. Like his size on the wing.

For the right price I would still add radulov with Nash, Iggy, a duck, etc.

I think Konopka is an almost must and I would look into tootoo or gaustad as well.

wicky,
I like all of those players. its the price that it is going to cost in the trade market that concerns me. the Rangers have built a team that should contend for many years. the second you trade away players from your core, prospects, and picks to go with it, the clock starts ticking faster and the window starts to close on winning.

here’s to hoping that Torts and Messier have Sather’s ear
and stop him from getting another enforcer bust
and get
someone who is gritty and can fight
and
in konopka’s case win faceoffs, heads to the front of the net and occasionally scores.

Wade Boggs said he would never play for the Yankees. I’ll believe it when I see it.

If he actually means this, then I expect Sather to pull off another steal of a trade as well as another signing. Remember the Rangers basically have unlimited cap space for this upcoming season so 1 year deals for guy like Ray Whitney coupled with a trade for Iginla would be ideal…

The Rangers need to have the players so that Hagelin and Anisimov are not expect to be in a top 6 role…

Correct me if I am wrong here, but doesn’t nash have a full NMC or NTC? So unless he approves the deal (read team he is going to) the deal is a NO GO!! So what difference would it make if 29 other teams want him, if he only is willing to go to 2 or 3 teams? I would think the price would not be higher in the least bit.

Totaly agree. 99% of the time, the players that are on the 2013 list never get to free agency. Only way to get them if at all is through a trade. Those guys are just too valuable to alike to walk for nothing that’s why Jordan Staal might be traded as soon as draft day.

I highly doubt that the Rangers go after Parise. We have all heard Torts say over and over again about building pride and loyalty to this team and how important it is. Begging Parise to join after such a public rebuke is lunacy.

The right move is to go after Schultz in free agency and look to make a deal for a top scorer. We have the assets do do it now without giving up key pieces of the future. In my opinion, the only untouchable players on this team should be McD,Kreider,Cally,Lundquist,and to a lesser extent,Stepan.

depends on what you consider a high price. how many players from the Ranger roster are you willing to give up. are you willing to give up your top prospects (Miller,and Erixon). how many draft picks are to many?

Bull dog
I think a package with dubi (I don’t hate the guy, but he makes 4+ mil so you have to clear some salary and I think he still has enough potential that he is of interest to teams), thomas, mdz or erixon (could be mcilrath, I just hope not), and a first rounder (next year’s would be better) and maybe a mid round this year would not really adversely impact our core or our future.

My opinion only of course. We would also get more than just Nash back from them i’m guessing.

I think Staal has played himself into almost being untouchable, and 21 year old Dman with two 40 point seasons under his belt should have high value. be very careful about how much you would trade, and the age of the players you are trading for.

Every team has prospects like Miller and Erixon they are worth very little on the trade market and I wish we’d get real and stop thinking they are going to fetch anything meaningful. Doesn’t mean they won’t be good players but from a trade value perspective they are the floor mats the dealership throws in.

Again, Nash is under contract. So while he can control where he is traded, if he doesn’t play ball with mgmt he is going to end up in Columbus training camp. There will be more bidders and Howson/Patrick will go for the best offer and work with Nash to get him to agree.

Bull dog
other than thomas (who I am not that enamored with) I would not necessarily be happy giving up any of the other players/picks I listed, but you have to give to get I guess (unless you are Montreal, then you just give)

Truth is by Zach saying no to rangers right now means that slats does not have the specter of a ufa parise to use in negotiating a deal for a Nash or Ryan. Slats could have bluffed by saying why give up these assets when it’s money for parise. So devils and parise could have screwed slats leverage on any traded by coming out today. I fully expected Zach to stay in jersey and never considered him. I still like Radulov and Nash or Ryan.

don’t know why Thomas is being thrown overboard so quickly
as far as a trade
or as far as he’d mean little to another team in a trade
remember
Torts during his Media Tour
mentioned Thomas as one of the young player he had hoped would
make it on the team from camp.
i believe he had a pretty good junior season despite suspension
so
Torts is pushing Thomas’s buttons to get it together this september
or
if you wanna play that game
he’s talking him up in order to get other teams’ interested

Dennis: Alright, what are some of your likes?
Charlie: Uh, ghouls.
Mac: Son of a bitch. What are you talking about now?
Charlie: You know, funny little green ghouls.
Dennis: Wh-what? Like in movies, in cartoons?
Charlie: Little green ghouls, buddy!

Even if Nash doesn’t decline, I just don’t think a player that’s put up 70 points just once in his career is worth nearly an $8M cap hit. He’s got as many low 30 goal seasons as he does high 30/40 goal seasons.

While 27 isn’t old in total lifespan terms, it is pushing the upper limits of maintaining peak production for an athlete. He’s got nearly 700 games of wear and tear on his body, players don’t usually get better with that amount of games.

I’ve posted this numerous times before: http://tinyurl.com/7mhnzsr
It’s the list of all players in NHL history that between ages 27-34 (Nash’s remaining contract) and the number of seasons they have with 30 goals+70 points. You’ll notice that a lot of those players that hit those benchmarks multiple times were playing in more offensive oriented eras and/or were some of the best scorers of all time.

And the “he’ll be on a better team” argument isn’t particularly well supported. Did Gaborik and Kovalchuk increase their production that much going to better teams?

I know guys are writing off Thomas a little bit. I wouldn’t yet. He had a down year and was still the leading scorer for his team. This was his season-ending write-up on The Prospect Park, which I think is a very good evaluation of his season:

Most people would be happy with a 36-35-71 year but for Thomas; 2011-2012 was one giant struggle after another.

In my eyes, Thomas’s problems started in Traverse City during the championship game as Thomas took a nasty shot to the head. Thomas kept playing but I think he played hurt as Thomas could not buy a point his first couple of weeks after his return to the OHL.

Thomas also received a 10 game suspension in October that I will go to my grave saying it was wrong. Thomas got pulled down to the ice and his stick hits the guy in the head who is pulling him down. It wasn’t even a penalty in the game it happened but Thomas big name and the OHL had to show it was tough on shots to the head.

It just kept snowballing for Thomas as Oshawa’s struggles led to a change in coach and being cut by Team Canada from the Under-20 team. The Generals as a team could not stay healthy as not 1 player played the entire season without missing a game.

Thomas is a sniper who can score from anywhere and the Rangers badly need his ability to not only score from anywhere but be able to create offense as well. Oshawa used Thomas to run the power play from the point but will John Tortorella be scared off by Thomas’s size?

Hope not because Thomas may not be the biggest dog out there; his defense is just as good as his offense. Give some credit to Steve Thomas who is Christian’s father as the former New Jersey Devil has taught his son quite well about what he needs to be a NHLer.

Anybody see the video of the Devils party bus in LA? The driver of the bus tries to talk these two drunk girls into joining them. He says “Are you sure? It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity” One girl goes in, but her friend goes up to a camera guy and says “devils suck”

LMAO!

Broduer was on the bus, so it’s safe to assume the girl has already been digested.

Didnt want him anyway!
Rick Nash then? If Slats does go for Nash, the situation with his no-trade clause could leave CBJ having to take it or leave it if they are determined to trade him.
I’m sure a Dubi + MDZ/Erixon/McIlrath + forward prospect (Miller/Thomas/Bourque?) + 1st rounder would be enough.

Otherwise it could be we throw the bank at Suter and try to find more scoring via another trade using our defensive assets or add a UFA like Doan. Bit of a thin crop in both the UFA and RFA market this year though.

Parise is staying a Devil is my educated guess … because it would make zero sense to rule out the Rangers even just as a bargaining tool. He’s smarter than that.

Sally, don’t you ever use “buddy” in a post again or I’ll ban your aasen. Just got back from the post office so by Friday it will be: Sally, *snail mail.*

And I think Nash will happily waive his NMC or NTC or whatever it is for almost any team serious enough to want him. The clause just protects him from being traded to the Islanders or the Jets or the Panthers.

There are eight million stories in the naked city.
And eight million reasons to say no to Rick Nash, many
of them noted around last trade deadline. Add just one:
he converted less than 10% of his shots this season (and,
yeah, stats don’t tell the whole truth, but they certainly
drop a hint or ten about important parts of it!).

And, speakin’ of the truth, thanks to all the grads of Sarasota
Fan College for the Great Big Whew!! about Zach’s Pinocchio tricks.
Imagine how many folks here, top to bottom, would have
had to hide out a while if the kid was simply tellin’ it…

Oh well, no Parise. Not really surprised. I hope he ends up in Minnesota or Detroit. I don’t think any of the top 3 forwards in Anaheim are going anywhere. BTW, driving across Florida, heard David Stern go off on Jim Rome on his radio show. Reminded me of Bettman. I am sick to death of these Lord Fauntleroy sports commissioners.

Nash will be an upgrade for sure. But over the last three years when he made $7, $7.5 and another $7.5M he scored 67, 66 and 59 points respectively. Let’s just say he is yet to justify his $7.8M cap hit.

Nash is a 30-35 goal, 70 pt player on average. $7.8 mil is a lot for that. He can be a beast, though. I am just not for throwing kids out to get him. It is not like they are trading for Messier. They are trading for a guy who hasn’t done anything and is over paid to do what he is doing. Still, for the right price, he would be hard to pass up.

LW, agreed. But what I’m saying is nobody will be happy at all if he comes here for $7.8M per and is putting up the kind of numbers, say, Dubinsky put up in 2010-11. If he’s scoring 25-27 goals he’ll be as reviled as Drury and Gomez.

WOW..he said no? Would have been more impressive if he expressed those feelings for Lou and the Devils a few weeks back..this is just his depression talking! DIn’t owrry Zach–they have pills for that…….

WOW..he said no? Would have been more impressive if he expressed those feelings for Lou and the Devils a few weeks back..this is just his depression talking! Don’t worry Zach–they have pills for that…….

Zach is such a great character guy. Would have been nice to have him, but I don’t think he is an elite talent.

I still think that columbus and their moronic GM will want the WORLD for Nash. I think a motivated Nash would be a great fit on the rangers. He is STILL YOUNG! Nash and Kreider up front on the PP.. WOW! would be nice if we can only get the price down.

I can’t believe I am saying this about Slats. But, I have faith in him and the organization. With Torts, Gordie Clarke and Shonny, slats has surrounded himself with good people.

You also have to factor in Nash’s surrounding cast and supply, the fact he’s been playing on a mediocre team and its effect on his numbers. Put him on a more talented, winning team with a setup man like Richards i’d expect those numbers to increase by 25%.

Going to be an interesting few weeks with the draft and National Slats day!

“LW, agreed. But what I’m saying is nobody will be happy at all if he comes here for $7.8M per and is putting up the kind of numbers, say, Dubinsky put up in 2010-11. If he’s scoring 25-27 goals he’ll be as reviled as Drury and Gomez.”

Unspoken reality: You’ll never get an established offensive star to play for Torts and accept all the shot blocking duties and all the daily overt and silent criticism unless you pay him a couple million over market. His system works with tough youth, and that’s the way he and Sather will have to go.

Matteau, you can’t possibly know what Sather’s offer was, but I am very certain it was way, way, way more than “2 ok prospects” plus Dubinsky and the first-rounder. They wanted McDonagh, Del Zotto and Stepan, plus minimally Kreider.

If you want to tell me Sather said no to Dubinsky, Del Zotto, Erixon and a first, I’d say you’re either dreaming or lying.

ilb he misplayed his hand because he thought he had CBJ over a barrell. He made a low ball offer. He let them sit with it. They rightfully ignored him and said we’ll see you again in the summer when more teams will be in on it.

Now Carp says no way for us to know what Sather offer was but wasn’t it reported that it was Dubi (4m 3rd liner with 6 goals), Erixon, Miller (or thomas I forget), and no 1 pick (late round)?

I call that low ball, and borderline hang up worthy. If I’m Patrick, who is clearly in charge, I don’t counter. I’ve made this point before, if you list your house for sale and someone offers you $1 for it do you bother to counter? That’s what Patrick did.

So I say we’ll never know bc if Sather’s offer is as reported, it means we don’t know if Patrick would not budge off his ridic demand. I bet if Sather made a serious offer Patrick would have come down a bit. We’ll never know.

Parteasy…from Rangers. That was kind of obvious long ago.(His statement, conspiracy aside, was plainly silly). Surprising was only amount of wishful thinking people here. Blogfather’s (I believe?) invented joke “Future Ranger” just became even funnier…
So, what’s now? First, no panic, please. Situation sucks, but other than that everything is OK. Pride aside, go for Nash, using any combinations (not all list) of Duby/AA/MDZ, even Stepan + someone from AHL and/or picks (cheap this year). Should be enough. Because it will take definitely more than one forward, also go for… are you sitting? Semin! Don’t eat me alive and please, don’t even start with Russian “enigmatic”, “lazy” “defensive liability”, “not Torts material”, “will be benched after 1st game” stuff. He is extremely talented, Gabby type, almost point per NHL(!) game player and could play on 1st line and be his substitute. His price, I believe will drop this season, he is trying water in KHL, but desperately wants to stay in NHL, (not in Washington, thou). Chances are Torts could find the way to give him some leeway and use as a pure scorer and on PP. If not, risk is really low, and if one or two year deal proves unsuccessful, the Rangers can simply move on from a failed experiment. There is no ripple effect of lost assets or tears from missed opportunities, or taken someone unproven yet prospect place. Gain in score could be huge, potentially (operative word). Now, start licking your chops…I went fishing.

don’t read too much into Torts’ comment, Matteau. He saw Semin for seven games. Also, Sather’s offer and Howser’s demands were never, ever reported. There were rumors and such, but neither was ever “reported” as fact.

I don’t believe for a moment that Sather lowballed Howson. But I do believe he said No when McDonagh and Kreider were in the equation. If it was what you suggest it was, Nash would have been here. I don’t even think that’s a question.

But for some reason you continue to insist that it was. I have no idea why.

I agree boxcar. There is no reason for him to dismiss the possibility of any suitor at this point, even if he has no intention of signing there. At the very least the Rangers would drive up his price. I think he knows he’s going back to the Devils, and why wouldn’t he? He believes in Brodeur and his coach and his GM and in Kovalchuk, and his team was two wins from a Stanley Cup. Fluke or not, right or wrong, I guarantee nobody in that organization thinks it was a fluke, or doesn’t think the team is capable of doing that again.

I hate to repete myself, but following some KHL, their blogosphere and his play, sayings in interviews and behavior, can tell you, that Radulov is not just a cancer but cancer with ready metastases on and off ice. He is a Cat, which is walking all by himself, antitheses of a team player, suffering by Primadonnaitis, always on a permanent collision course with any coaches. His love for parties and despise for curfew is the least if his sins. Just shows his total disregard to the team, PO game, organization he is playing for and getting his check from and, BTW, to all NHL. Not more than that.
Cherry picking glider on ice, he made a good coach to be fired (and getting physical with him before, can you imagine?) in Salavat Yulaev and even local fans were relieved and happy when he left.

You guys crack me up with this idea that Semin could work here. You were pretty much pushing Gaborik overboard this spring. Gaborik is 10x the player Semin is in terms of competing. Semin will come here, have a decent season, be a complete dog in the playoffs and you guys will be railing again about game over, season over, trade everybody. Not to mention that Semin won’t be cheap by any means.

i wonder if the Sedin twins will leave Vancouver after next year. Choking year after year must get pretty tiring. If they decide to leave, where do they go? They’ll undoubtedly want to stick together so really only a team with huge amount of cap room will be able to get them. So not a good team…Might as well stay in Vancouver.

Boo-K, but he probably thinks the ‘Yotes are as legit a contender as the NYR.

Also, heard Johnny Miller talking about the 670-yarder today. He said, with the wind coming off the bay, it plays like 715 or 720. He said guys were hitting 3-wood on the THIRD shots in practice round today.

I knew this is coming, Carp.
No need to ridicule. Everybody knows Semin’s weakness. It was just one of the thoughts to stir, if you read it carefully. Besides, having wrist shot at least as good as Gabby’s, Semin by far better dribbler and delivers puck in offensive zone in a more creative and constant base.
For argument sake, I’m saying he is very Gabby type player, even injuries prone, and their statistics (the most important and objective ones, like POINTS per game) are pretty similar.
Gabby: 0.89 in regular season; 0.64 in PO
Semi: 0.84 and 0.66 accordingly (speaking, btw, about PO performance).
That’s why I was bringing this, as a relatively inexpensive additional scoring alternative, to substitute Gabby, under certain condition and low risk, exactly to eliminate “player sucks”, “season over” type of talks after.

Count me among those who are not at all shocked that Parise said that. Like he’s admit anything other than wanting to stay a Devil on the Devil’s breakup day. Did anyone ask him about going to Minny? If so, what was his answer on that? I’d bet it would be very similar.

Screw Parise – he’s good and all, but I think he’s one of those guys that would come here and miraculously just become an “average” player – either that, or he would get a major injury that would shorten his career and end his usefulness for us.

Let him get rich somewhere else – I hated his father for his participation in the Fishsticks upset of our boys back in the 1970’s, and this little Pree-K son of his loves being a Ranger killer – he can eat my shorts!

Bonnaroo pretty much includes every style minus classical
it had an international day at one of the tents that included
Red Baraat

this is actually Rodrigo y Gabriela’s 2nd or 3rd time at Bonnaroo

the crowd is really into music for music’s sake and accepting and interested in just about anyone. so, they were just as excited to see Radiohead as much as Avett Brothers as Kenny Rogers and then went nuts when Lionel Richie came out to join him. later, Kenny joined Phish onstage to sing The Gambler

Honesty
if you’re flipping on me well…..
i’m published A LOT and don’t put links up here at all throughout 99.9%
of the season

since it’s slow and i haven’t been around i thought i’d share a bit with what i’ve been up to
and
since Carp made what i thought was a mention about it
i thought i’d put the links up
and
ya know what
it’s not a command for you to click on ’em
so just relax!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only thing you can surmise from Parise’s statement is that he’s not too bright. It simply was a question he could have avoided answering- how many other teams will he rule out in this upside-down bargaining strategy? Thought he was overrated but didn’t think he was this dumb- but if he is- we certainly don’t need dumb players. Especially very expensive dumb players.

yes they were.
just a great time overall because the people there (not all, i’m sure) are there due to a strong interest in music (i.e. the large crowd at Super Jam that let out a roar when D’Angelo was announced — his first live performance in 12 years — or seeing 60,000 people light up when the Beach Boys played a surprisingly strong set)
i walked around 10-12 miles each day. weather wasn’t as hot as past years but still the sun and humidity got me plus my back was killing me.
but i survived and hope to go again next year.

If Parise was trying to avoid answering the question, there is a good chance the headlines immediately would suggest that he pretty much said he was signing with the Rangers. He was put in a very bad spot.

Parise’s kinda small, and he gets bounced around a lot – I can see him someone racking him up like Bernier (another genius!) did to Scuderi, and making him hear birdies in his head for a long, long time…

Parise reminds me so much of Callaghan – selfless team player, wears his heart on his sleave, hates to lose. I thought he might be pissed at Lamoriello for making him wait for a contract and risk injury but apparently not. I never thought he would come to us, but I was hoping he would leave the Devils. Unfortunately, I think Carp is right – he is staying put…not good news for us. I wonder if Slats and the boys were surprised?

Do you think an offer of AA,Dubi,MdZ, and Christian Thomas for Nash gets it done? I believe it might. It would also be fairly easy to replace those guys. Nash replaces AA. JT Miller can replace Dubi. Erixon replaces MDZ. And if they sign Shultz that is a bonus. They also have the cap room to entertain the option of adding Suter although that might be yet another large long term contract which could prove burdensome. But they are a much better team with that deal struck in my option.

czech, no I don’t, unless howson gets desperate. That deal wouldn’t have come close at the trade deadline from what I understand.

Honesty, talk about onions. How about posting under your usual name if you have something to say about somebody else? jpg’s a regular here; has been forever. And if he wants to promote his blog here he’s certainly welcome to do so. All I ask of anybody who does that is that they bring something to the table once in a while, and not just promote themselves. jpg surely doesn’t do that. Not even close.

exactly, Carp… i was hard on MDZ (and frankly, who wasn’t?) during 10-11 season when he got send down half way into it… but i really liked the way he played this year, especially in playoffs… he showed a lot of grit and physicality along with good offense. I say – keep Michael Del Zotto!

thanks Carp
btw
the links are just a couple of the places that publish my work.
there are others as well.
as far as my own site, which is a basic site with links to my writing/photos and
my photos
i think i will include that in with my name for any future interest.

btw,
i thought MDZ went to gary roberts camp again last summer
as far as his upside
it’s true that he does have a LOT of upside
but
it there are certain…..ummmm…..thought processes that he makes
again and again in offensive and defensive zones
that really make me wish my hair grew back so that i could pull it out!!!

i know he’s young but certain matters such as horrible passes up the middle or hesitancy in offensive zone just seem like things that should be dealt with via Torts and/or Sully and/or Schoeny and adjusted for the better.
i dunno
roller coaster.

I didn’t think I needed to explain to anyone that what I wrote was supposed to say “opinion”not “option”because I am typing on my iPad. I now see that at least when it comes to you, I need to clarify so just for your sake my Jewish ethnic brother, I will next time.

They showed some highlights of the season and the playoffs. Then, Joe Mich called in. David Amber asked…”if there is one move you see the Rangers making, what is it?”

Joe Mich said: Parise. He gave a number of reasons. Torts being one of them, because he coached him on Team USA. Another one is that he is good friends with Stepan and McDonagh, as they train in the off-season together.

They also spoke about Prust. Kelly Chase was praising his game and work ethic. He also said that Prust has it made in NY. Fans love him. Coaches love him. Teammates love him. It would be hard to find something as good somewhere else. And, he doesn’t think Prust will command the type of $ that would force him out of NY. Could he get more somewhere else? Sure, but he’s the type of player that might not find a better situation than being a Ranger….

Boys and girls, everyone is mudslinging MDZ around. He is a 21 yo kid. He supposedly was really close with Grandma, so it did effect him during the playoffs. He has some good instincts and some things that could use some work. He could be a good 3 or 4 home grown talent. He could grow more and bulk up. Damn, he is just a kid!

NYR, to your point, in his season ending game interview, Prust all but said he loves it here and wants to be a part of this team. The only way he leaves is if Sather tries to low ball him and it gets ugly. I am sure the sharks were in the NYR waters listening to his statements.

10. at 5’11”, 194 lbs., he’s a little small for OUR team
9. he has a lot of miles on him
8. his Dad has a big mouth and played for the wrong New York team
7. he is ‘Mr. Devil’, not ‘Mr. Ranger’
6. he has been complemented perfectly by good offensive linemates his whole career. do we have the perfect complement for him???
5. is he a ‘creator’ or one who needs help from others to create? The latter are simply worth less. Don’t overpay for that.
4. he looked awful silly on that early SC Finals PP goal by Kopitar, losing his man.
3. he will be vastly overpaid for too many years and is a ‘cap killer’.
2. he is not worth the annual pay he will receive. Is he REALLY that good?

and the number one answer to why we should not engage in the Parise sweepstakes:

1. he is a Devil through and through. It would turn his stomach to play in the Broadway Blue uniforms. Likewise, it would turn ours to see him in our uniform.

If all these guys are overpriced, I might, after checking his past years play, take a serious look at Konopka. Terrific stick, face-offs, wrester, and can tough it up but good. He was tough in round 1. Good 4th line center.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
thos blog is disintegrating. It is time for “Manny” to revise the lists : The Hockey Illuminati vs. The Hockey Idiots. What a splendid idea to get impatient with one another, righy up with with the tenor of the times. And, FYI, there is no idiot free blog, if it’s free for the “contributors”, noy dor sports, not for current affairs. We should all be paying for the privilege, Carp !! It is an American way to pay for your First Amendment rights, no ?

Come on, let’s pay for the privilege, this will go a long way towards eliminating some infantile and noy funny “one liners”. I would pay CRP a $20.00 PER MONTH to have a right to speak without fear that ther is a clique behind all this.
Like Wicky ?
Sally?
Strange, to say the least. Any explanation for not deleting such junk, Carp ?

And yes, I feel like Mia that this is a cult of fans that does not accept the input of others easily. But Mia was accomomodated promptly (privately), what was that all about, Carp ?

Carp regarding your comment at 7:13pm. The offer of Dubi, Erixon prospects pick while not officially reported, was rumored enough that it had essentially become accepted in the media as Sather’s offer.

Also rumored and accepted as fact was the demand for Step, McD or MDZ, and kreider.

I believe if there were more names tossed around between Sather and CBJ we would have heard about them.

But it didn’t go there, both sides waited for the other to blink and neither did.

We have to face facts, Nash will cost. So either we want him or we don’t,

If we do want him let’s be real and understand we’re going to have to sacrifice real assets. Something like Stepan, MDZ and Dubi. Keep in mind the Kings are probably not too worried that Simmonds and Schenn are good players for Philly.

It’s not even clear Columbus does that deal, they may have better options from other teams.

It seems that you go to some serious extremes to direct animus toward other blogsters for no apparent reason. Now I know that you find yourself as a cut above most of the Boneheads. to such an extent that I wonder why you even drop to the level of communicating in this format with them.. It is becoming painfully apparent that any who disagree with your own observations, is
a source of painful contempt to you. I have no particular feelings about what anyone has to say about anything, because I find that most of you are far advanced in their inside knowledge about the workings of Rangers and this league, and many of my own observations are a product of only
that which I see unfolding before my own eyes. I have never engaged in a kitten fight between myself and others about personal observation, nor will I. All point made as far as I’m concerned are that which the poster believes and considers. All are entitled to be read, if not necessarily agreed with. Now I have recalled my defenses of EC while he as here, and also Gilroy, and a few others, and been snickered at for doing so. I accept the scorn..it is a judgment on my thought processes…I can live with it without replying in kind. I enjoy searching these Ranger discards and wish them well in their changed environs…and yes, I always enjoyed the antics of Avery, and in my opinion he brought a comic relief while at the same time, contributed to the team in a
tactical manner. I always admired Paul Mara as a stable and responsible D man, and still do. i took heat from this…eh? OK…I lose no sleep over it. I still believe that Lundqvist has reached a plateau in his professional technique that is found wanting as each season unfolds. And nothing changes much in his performance. And as likable a personality that Biron brings to the team..sound and responsible goal work, in my opinion only, is not at major league level.

When a person levels criticism of another person at the personal level in this or any blog, it would be best if that critic wore the mantle of righteousness, and sound conviction across his or her own shoulders.